LUSTRUM2
Co-production of digital health interventions to increase sex partner testing within contact tracing for sexually transmitted infections (2023-2024)
Each year over 400,000 people get a sexually transmitted infection (STI) in the UK. Chlamydia is the most common STI. Most people will not have symptoms but STIs can still cause health issues such as infertility, pregnancy complications, and long-term pain. This is most likely to happen when sex partners do not get tested and treated and infections pass back and forth. The process of contacting, testing, and treating sex partners is called ‘contact tracing’.
We focussed on contact tracing in the LUSTRUM research programme. Within our clinical trial of a new way of contact tracing (Accelerated Partner Therapy), we found that only half of the sex partners of people with chlamydia were getting tested for chlamydia themselves. See this short animation about the clinical trial. LUSTRUM recommended that more work is needed to help more sex partners, across all communities, get tested.
Aim
In LUSTRUM2, we will co-produce one or more short films to encourage sex partners to test for STIs as part of contact tracing. The films need to meet the needs of people from across society in a way that considers different sexual, social and cultural contexts. The films will be used by sexual health services to support patients and will be on clinic websites, included within online STI testing services, and available freely across the NHS. We hope this will give better care to sex partners, reduce re-infection, and reduce health inequalities.
The LUSTRUM2 research team will work with people from communities most affected by STIs and those who work with them such as NHS staff and community workers, as well as people with expertise in film, media and communications.
Project team
- Professor Claudia Estcourt (Co-Principle Investigator, Glasgow Caledonian University and Central and North West London NHS Foundation Trust)
- Dr Jennifer MacDonald (Co-Principle Investigator, Glasgow Caledonian University)
- Dr Melvina Woode Owusu (University College London)
- Ms Amelia McInnes-Dean (University College London)
- Dr Jo Gibbs (University College London)
- Professor Paul Flowers (University of Strathclyde)
- Mr André Bright.
Contact: jennifer.macdonald2@gcu.ac.uk
This project is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), Programme Development Grant (NIHR205675) (£153,743.58)
Get involved
Make a difference and help create short films to encourage partners to test for STIs
Learn more